Yellow drapes with a box-pleat valance and patterned wallpaper combine for a polished tone-on-tone effect in Victoria Webster’s living room. The sofa, carpet and trim in pale grey balance the graphic impact of the yellow wallpaper without stealing its thunder.

Multiple windows with shutters and high mouldings add light and charm to this space.

Recovered in grey wool, the sofas in this Federal-style home are a crisp foil to the living room’s unique collection of accessories, like a bold zebra rug, framed 18th-century room sketches and a $45 junk shop metal table. Assorted curios, like the woman’s shoes on the side table and the small sculptures found throughout the room, speak to the homeowner’s interests and personality.

Original 1914 doors and reclaimed elm flooring are lovely accompaniments to century-old bookshelves lining the hallway.

Thanks to designer Kate Zeidler and architect Bill Dewson, this light-filled and contemporary condo — a former Catholic high school dormitory — balances the best of new and old. The playful Paul Smith rug and contemporary art, lined salon-style along the walls, provide a playful, modern touch to the space.

Lynda Reeves used industrial elements and dark-grey kitchen cabinets to update country style.

The kitchen of the 2009 Princess Margaret Welcome Home Sweepstakes Showhome in Oakville was inspired by Lynda’s travels and the farmhouses of Belgium and France. “They’re fascinating because they have the warmth associated with our farmhouses, but with a sparer, architectural discipline,” she says. The stunning, unfitted kitchen includes traditional country elements like an apron sink and open storage, mixed with modern charcoal grey cabinets, stainless steel accents and honed CaesarStone countertops.

Painting interiors a crisp white or soft neutral enhances the amount of light coming in from large windows. Here, views of Georgian Bay can be taken in from a comfortable window seat. Pale bedding and open side tables also keep the room fresh and airy.

Wallpaper and a large silver pouf are not usual fare for a principal bathroom, but here they prove that sophistication and fun can easily coexist. The juicy purple hue and oversized fruit pattern on the wallpaper provide a graphic punch.

Colourful pillows and organic textures brighten an outdoor living room.

A mid-century modern sofa and chairs by British designer T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings anchor this airy screened porch. Multiple seating areas provide places to converse or escape, all with slightly different vistas. Sophisticated lighting and side tables elevate the outdoor space.

Before she updated her family’s 70-year-old cottage, designer Colette van den Thillart‘s mother advised her to tear the building down. But Colette was determined to maintain the original structure: “I’m not terribly sentimental, but Canadians understand how deep into your system family cottages get.” The result is a cottage that is a scrapbook of her family’s history. At times dark and moody, then airy and Scandinavian, the home is fresh, calm and welcoming.

Modern conveniences, like the wall-mounted spigot tap over the stove for filling pots, update the country-style kitchen in this home. Massive stone corbels support the range hood, adding interest and a sense of history to the new-build house.

See more photos of this home, plus other luxurious country houses, in our Grand Country Houses photo gallery.

A palette of pale blues and creamy whites plays into this principal bedroom’s atmosphere of calm. The homeowners had the cypress ceiling pickled to accentuate the height, and to tone down the orange. French doors flood the room with light and lead to private gardens.

The 12-foot tree in designer and HGTV host Sarah Richardson‘s farmhouse living room was cut down on their property by Sarah’s husband. Loaded with ornaments, both old and new, the tree stands between the dining room and living room, allowing it to be seen from many vantage points. The warm colour scheme of red, orange and cream in the space creates a cosy feeling, perfect for a country home.

At 5,000 square feet and overlooking Montreal’s Mount Royal, this grand dwelling defines the word majestic. There are 15 rooms (including three bedrooms and four baths), eleven Italian chandeliers and three gas fireplaces — plus, the kitchen boasts a ten-foot-long island. With coffered ceilings, elegantly swagged drapes, plush fabrics, a wine library and timeless furnishings and art in every room, this made-to-measure apartment has a palatial feel.